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This article is written by Debbie Davis of Artful Explorations.

I’m not very good at cutting paper to fit a background.  Even with a paper cutter and ruler, I usually manage to cut the edges uneven or smaller than I intended.  Because of this, I have to find ways to make the uncovered area and the paper merge so it all comes together nicely.

There are a number of techniques that can be used to accomplish this.  One of my favorites is to use oil pastel crayons.  I love the water soluble kind, even though I don’t always use water with them.

I decided to make a Vintage Valentines collage on a canvas panel.  After gluing the paper down, I needed to fill in the edges with some color.  I thought the oil pastel crayons would work well here because they blend together so nicely.

First I used a pink oil pastel crayon and colored all around the edge and sides of the panel.  I then rubbed and smudged the color into the panel and over onto the edges of the paper with my finger.   The pink color was a bit too bright so I used a white oil pastel crayon to tone it down.  I colored over the pink with the white and blended it with my finger until the color was fairly close to the color of the pink paper.  The paper had a vintage look to it and some distressed areas that were somewhat brown in color.  I thought using a bit of the brown oil pastel might help tie it all together.  I added a small amount of the brown crayon to the canvas edges and lightly rubbed it in until I liked the way it looked.

Next I tore the center out of a paper doily so that I could use the lacey part as a frame for my image.  I used gel medium to glue the doily down and also quickly but carefully applied the medium to the top of the doily.  I let the doily dry and then used the gel medium to glue down the image.  I then added a paper heart, a key, and a few little buttons along with a scrap piece of yarn to give it some texture.

I really like the way this collage came together so I think I will see if I can get a good image of it to use to create some Vintage Valentines cards, and maybe some magnets for the fridge.

Happy Valentines Day!

Debbie

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You can see more of Debbie’s work at her Etsy Shop Artful Explorations

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